Junk Food Or Actual Food

UNITED STATES—Food, it is the one thing that we all consume on a daily basis. It’s something that is needed for survival; however, I really want to pinpoint the conversation about what food is being purchased. Things that should be consumed versus those food items that are not so good for the body, but we cannot resist. Let’s discuss a recent trip to the grocery store that I learned about myself. I could be inclined to buy junk food a lot more if it’s on sale versus purchasing actual healthy food choices.

I don’t need to go into the discussion of why that is because I just revealed my answer: junk food tends to be cheaper than the foods we should consume, which raises the question: why? Why are cookies, chips, soda, flavored beverages, saltines and items loaded with sugar and fat cheaper to purchase than items like fruits, veggies, dairy and meats?

We’re constantly told we’re eating the wrong things all the time, yet when you head to the store the most expensive item you can purchase is meat. It drives me bonkers literally. I mean everything that I purchased this past weekend were snacks. Did I get good deals? Without a doubt and the cabinets are stocked with items to snack on throughout the day, but the food items are not the best for the body.

I did purchase a few veggies and fruits from the local farmer’s market, but even those items were slightly costly. I mean why in the world is a pomegranate $4.99? Does that sound crazy, yes, because while an Indian Apple it is out of season, it should be much cheaper in my personal opinion? To me fruits and veggies should be the cheapest items to purchase when it comes to food, but that is never the case. I mean a red pepper is $3.99 a pound? Come on already, consumers shouldn’t be paying over $2.00 for most fruits and veggies, and when it comes to items like pineapples, watermelons, cantaloupes, honeydews and grapes, they should be far cheaper.

Rarely do you see veggies more expensive than fruits unless you’re talking about broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus, and even those items should be cheaper. I mean all you hear people talk about nowadays is the lure of cauliflower and its ability to mimic other foods, but I’m not paying $3 for a head of a cauliflower, no sir. Meat, I get why it is expensive, but jeez gosh, you can easily spend $50 to $100 on meat for a family of four and it will not last more than a month in the freezer between preparing meals.

I was ecstatic to get Ground Beef Chuck for only $3.49 a pound, but a pack of chicken breast can cost anywhere between $15-$20. When it comes to pork and beef the same sentiment is echoed; meat is expensive and there isn’t much of a way to get around it. Well, there is you can purchase meats that are considered a less expensive cut or not as high caliber as let’s say a T-Bone steak or skinless chicken breast.

The biggest I have is we are constantly told that we need to eat healthier, yet, the producers of many of these food items are NOT making them affordable for the consumer to stretch their budget. I mean do not expect me to eat gluten free items when a package of gluten free flour is $8, who has money like that to spend just frivolously. I don’t and I’m not doing it. If you find a way to make it cheaper I’m telling you more people will buy it that means you make more money and a bigger profit in the long run.

When live in a reality where you SHOULD NOT have to choose between foods that are bad for you versus foods that are good for you. If knowledge tells us we should choose healthier food items, it should not take a rocket scientist to figure out by lowering the rates food items people can purchase more which means we’re eating more of what we need, while still having our snacks on the side.